It’s often much easier to live healthier during the summer versus the school year. The weather is nice and you have full days that you can schedule physical activity, plus you do the grocery shopping and control the food that is in your house.
Once you are back in school, it can be difficult to continue those healthy practices. The weather gets cooler, you have less time for the gym and workouts, and there is usually an endless supply of bakery treats and other goodies left in the teachers’ lounge for everyone to nibble.
How do you combat the back-to-school healthy blues? Use the tricks that worked for you during the summer and adapt them to your new daily routine. For example, do you enjoy working out during the morning, but don’t want to wake up hours earlier then you already have to? Try doing a quick 15-30 minute workout in the morning to help you wake up like one of these routines from Shape Magazine, and a walk around your neighborhood in the evening to complete your day.
Sometimes physical activity is just not going to happen on days when you work. If that is your case, add fun and physical activities to your weekend plans. Try a family bike ride through your favorite neighborhood or a hike in a local park.
You can also try popular adult meditation or mindfulness apps like Calm or Stop, Think, Breath to help manage everyday stress.
If teachers’ room treats are interfering with your eating plans, try keeping healthy snacks in your classroom. Pack snacks that speak to your cravings. Love sweets? Keep a bag of grapes or cubed pineapple on hand. More of a salty person? Pack a container of lightly salted mixed nuts instead of potato chips. Or check out this great list of healthy snacks from Cooking Light Magazine – all portable and easy to eat in between lessons!
Let us know your tried and true stay-healthy-during-the-school-year tricks!